ZERO1

Pro Wrestling Zero1 is a promotion founded by the late Shinya Hashimoto after he was released in 2000 by New Japan Pro Wrestling. Hashimoto was not alone when he was released from New Japan as Shinjiro Ohtani followed suit and decided to help out his friend in this new project. In January of 2001, Zero1 was up and running and has been shows without too many issues except for a period in late 2004 when Hashimoto officially stepped down as the owner of ZERO1.

Shinjiro Ohtani and Yoshiyuki Nakamura would take over full responsibilities of the promotion which would be now called Pro Wrestling Zero1-Max. With the name change also came the connection to the AWA Superstars of Wrestling, an off base of the original American Wrestling Alliance, and began running with their titles respective titles (Read in the Champions/Championships for more info on the titles over the years.)

Zero1’s partnership with AWA would only last a few years because in late 2007 AWA would be sited for using the AWA name when the WWE owned sole rights to the AWA properties. This would not cause that huge of an issue, like expected, but they would have their main Heavyweight Championship, Masato Tanaka being champion at the time, removed completely from the promotion. Zero1 would go the smart route and just back create their own belts under their name, so that this issue would just not happen again.

Zero1 has been running without too many issues since 2008, and is looking to build themselves up to top contenders as a major promotions in Japan.

The Fire Festival is a yearly tournament held by Zero1 that is open to all wrestlers from around the world, though only one outsider has one the tournament and that was Satoshi Kojima back in 2003.This tournament was originally created by Hashimoto to see who “is the strongest in the world.”
The winner is awarded with the “Fire Festival Sword” which they hold until the next the next years scheduled tournament.

A yearly Junior Heavyweight created by the late Shinya Hashimoto that has the interesting concept of being based around the system of a wrestler vying to earn all of the “Dragon Balls.” The balls are none other than glass sphere’s which when a wrestler gains all of them they are in turn given the ability to make a wish.

An example of the wish is Hidaka asking for Zero1 to sign Shoichi Funaki, his sensei, to a contract.